DES MOINES, Iowa - Iowa and Illinois farmers made "significant progress" last week in their effort to plant this year's corn crop.
More than three quarters of the eastern Iowa (80%) and northwestern Illinois (77%) corn crop is now in the ground. That's up from 15% of the Iowa crop planted the week before and 17% of the Illinois corn crop planted a week earlier.
Quad City area farmers are ahead of both the statewide Iowa and Illinois totals.
The National Agricultural Statistics Service says the best weather of the year for fieldwork allowed producers to rapidly advance their planting pace, especially for corn. The good weather held in most areas till late in the week, when severe storms were seen across much of Iowa.
Statewide, 71% of the Iowa corn crop is now planted.
In Illinois, the corn planting progress, now at 74% complete, compares to 98% last year and the five-year average of 77%. 16% of the Illinois corn crop has already emerged.
According to many reports to the Agriculture Department, Illinois producers were actually able to finish planting corn and moved on to planting soybeans.